


bubblegum lips and mistletoe kisses

by milkshakesandmurders



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bughead Secret Santa, Christmas Fluff, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, So many tropes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-28
Packaged: 2019-02-19 08:51:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkshakesandmurders/pseuds/milkshakesandmurders
Summary: Jughead wasn’t sure if he could blame his rapidly beating heart and unusually sweaty palms on the fact he had just climbed seven flights of stairs, or, because he was standing outside (which he had been for closing in on 15 minutes now) the apartment of his lifelong best friend about to ask her to not only spend the Christmas holidays with him and his family, but also agree to be his (pretend) girlfriend.





	1. Monday night dinner and Netflix.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my Bughead Secret Santa gift for @wildflowe-s (on tumblr) 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it. (I’m lowkey excited for this.. it’s not a trope I’ve thought about before, so fingers crossed it’s ok!)
> 
> * I’ve taken a few liberties here; FP & Gladys are still married. (mentioned a few paragraphs in, Betty and Jughead are adults)

**December, 20th.**  
**11:00PM**

It had been three hours since Jughead was at his local diner collecting some takeaway dinner when the idea he had been hoping to arouse for the last four days hit him; like a tonne of bricks.  
He ran home, fumbling through the front door, discarding his dinner on the table, before lurching at his laptop.  
It was only when the too loud shrill of his ringtone brought him back to reality.

 _Fuck_ , he muttered, _why is it that loud_?

Glancing over, his phone was graced with a ridiculous selfie his younger sister had taken of herself just a few months beforehand. Rubbing his eyes, they snapped up at the time displayed on his laptop, and the wave of fear and sickness that rushed through had him grabbing his phone and immediately swiping right to answer.

“Jelly! What’s wrong? It’s 11PM, are you okay? Is Mum and Dad okay?” He felt frantic. Nothing good comes of a phone call from a sibling this late at night.

“Jug, _relax_ ,” Jellybean stifled a giggle, “I just heard something, and if I didn’t call you now, I’d forget.”

Jughead stood and started pacing the small space, otherwise known as his living room, “what the shit are you murmuring about, Jelly?”

“Look, I’m fine. Mum’s fine, and so is Dad,” she sounded like she was moving around, hearing the click of her door and the squeakiness of her mattress, she cleared her throat, “so, Christmas is next week, Jug.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m aware? I’m coming to spend the next few days with you guys,” He moved to sit down on his second-hand couch, it had character, “but, that’s not why you’re calling.” He was getting annoyed. He was tired, and not in the mood for Jellybean’s non-sense.

“It’s related. Anyway. You know how Mum and Dad are both small town. Born and raised. We know that they’re not the smartest of people.”

Jughead nodded. She wasn’t wrong.

“So, I overheard them just now, chatting away, as they do. Banging on about how great it is that you’ll be home for Christmas. It’ll be like the old days. Family getting together, yada yada yada,” Jughead could picture Jellybean rolling her eyes and her free hand making the chatting signal, “But they’re perplexed about why you’re visiting on your own. _Why isn’t Jughead bringing anyone home? Surely he’s met someone. He’s such a catch_. And so on, and so forth.”

“Yeah, okay. Where are you going with this?” Jughead was confused, and getting more frustrated.

“I haven’t finished yet,” her tone getting a little more fierce and laced with her trademark Jellybean-sass, “So there’s some chatting between the two of them, I couldn’t decipher what they were saying for a few minutes. But it wasn’t long that the volume of their conversation increased slightly, and I managed to hear them talking again. The general conversation led to _were you ashamed of them, of the family_ , blah blah. Which inevitably led to them concluding off the cuff that maybe you’re gay. Heck, I’m gay, so they now think it runs in the family.”

“ _What_?” This has Jughead sitting up straight, “they think I’m gay? Because you’re gay and I’m not bringing a girl home for Christmas?”

“Look, Jug. I know you’re not gay. I know you’re in love with Betty Cooper-“

“Excuse me?” He felt his face flush.  
_Elizabeth Cooper. The girl from his childhood. The girl he’s known his entire life. The girl he followed from their little town to the big smoke. “It’s what friends do, Betty.”_  
_It’s not at all what friends do. It’s what a friend does when he’s head over heels in love. Totally 100 per-cent smitten, and generally ‘gone’ for someone._

“Jug? Really?” Jellybean snorted, “you’ve been in love with her for as long as I can remember!”

“I have not.”  
_He has been. Ever since she grabbed his hand and dragged him up to Archie’s treehouse and planted a kiss on his lips when they were both 10-years-old._  
_They were 15 years older, and it had been the one kiss they had shared. Jughead had eventually lost count of the amount of times he had come dangerously close to tasting her bubble gum pink lips. He was always oh so close, yet always oh so far._

“Yeah, okay. If you say so, anyways,” Jellybean sighed, “maybe you should chat to Betty.”

“Why in gods name would I wanna chat to Betty?” He groaned in frustration; he was done with this conversation. Catching sight of the time, unwillingly, he yawned. It didn’t go unnoticed by the person on the other end of the line either.

“Okay, we’re both tired. And I actually have a 5AM start tomorrow morning, so I’ll wrap this up. I speak with Betty, once a week,” this was new information to the ears of Jughead, _how did he not know this_ , “and I know for a fact that Alice and Hal have pissed off for Christmas and New Years. So, it’s the perfect opportunity to have her come spend this festive holiday with the Jones’s.”

“No, JB. Not a chance.” He was shaking his head at the very idea of taking Betty back to their home town.

“I think you know what you have to do, Jug. You’re a clever cookie. This isn’t something I need to spell out for you.”

With a few short goodbyes, the phone on the other end clicked, indicating the end of their enlightening conversation.  
With his eyes darting around the room, the realization of what his little sister was talking about sat heavy on his mind.  
_No way_ , he thought, _asking Betty to be play his girlfriend for a few days to simply appease his parents_? He laughed, but continued to think.  
No, no, no.

With a heavy sigh, Jughead commenced his usual night time routine; turning his laptop off, switching all the lights off, brushing his teeth, brushing his hair (he has luscious hair, it’s not beautiful without maintenance) and getting a glass of water to place on his bedside table.  
As he climbed into bed, he plugged his phone into charge and opened his text conversation with Betty.  
Flicking his eyes up to the time at the very top of his phone, he noted it was 11:47PM, which meant Betty would be asleep; he knew for a fact she was a light sleeper, and a message would wake her. (sadly not because he has spent countless nights sleeping next to her or anything, but because of the numerous times he had called her post-9PM and had woken her.)  
It wasn’t long after mentally fighting with himself and his little sisters insane idea; he put his phone back on his bedside table and decided it was an idea he needed to sleep on.

 **December, 21st.**  
**11:13AM.**

Jughead wasn’t sure if he could blame his rapidly beating heart and unusually sweaty palms on the fact he had just climbed seven flights of stairs, or, because he was standing outside (which he had been for closing in on 15 minutes now) the apartment of his lifelong best friend about to ask her to not only spend the Christmas holidays with him and his family, but also agree to be his (pretend) girlfriend.  
_Wiping his palms on the thighs of his jeans; it was most definitely the latter._

Giving himself a mental scalding / pep talk, he closed his palm to form a fist and gently rapped on the door.  
Swallowing every possible urge his feet sent to his head, _RUN AWAY JUG, you’re going to make a fool of yourself._

The door swung open, revealing not only the beautiful blonde, but also the familiar smell of the famous Cooper gingerbread cookies mixed with the trademark scent of Betty herself; vanilla and musk.

“Juggie!” Betty squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck, “I wasn’t expecting you, come in!”

Rubbing the back of his neck, in a futile attempt to calm his nerves, he murmured something about _being in the area._

Betty quirked an eyebrow, seemingly not entirely convinced of the bullshit her best friend just spun her way, she simply shrugged, “well, I’m glad you _were in the area_ ,” Jughead cringed at her tone, she was too fucking clever, “because, I’ve been making gingerbread men for the folks down at the retirement home-“

“How come you never mentioned that you weren’t going home for Christmas?”

Betty’s eyes snapped up to meet his, clearly not expecting the question, “oh, um-“

“I had to hear it from Jellybean last night.” He hadn’t intended for it to come out as harsh as it did, but he couldn’t take it back.

“It just never came up, I suppose,” she wiped her hands on the apron, “look, I’m sorry, Jug. It just didn’t seem like a big deal, ya know?”

“ _Not a big deal_? Betty Cooper spending Christmas, alone?” Jughead couldn’t help the laugh that betrayed him.

“I’m a big girl, Juggie. I’ll be fine!” Waving him away, Betty turned back to the kitchen, “anyways, are you able to taste test these for me?”

Jughead simply shook his head.

“What? Why? Cookies, Jug. Cooper cookies. And you’re saying no?” Betty was perplexed.

“I’m not hungry,” before he could stop himself, Jughead was rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, okay,” Betty removed her apron, and hung on the wall, “you’re doing the leg shake and neck rub. If that wasn’t a Jughead Jones nervous trait, well, I don’t know,” she pointed to the couch, “sit.”

Jughead sighed and made his way over to the pastel couch covered in way too many useless cushions and knitted blankets.

“What’s up, Juggie? What’s bothering you?” She reached over and placed her dainty hand firmly on his leg, and looked up at him under long lashes with pleading & hopeful eyes, please tell me.

“I got a phone call from Jelly last night, at 11PM,” he blinked and glanced over at Betty after her noticeable gasp, _she’s okay_ , “anyways, so she’s giggling away, and tells me she’s overheard Mum and Dad talking about Christmas. They’re both ridiculously excited to have the Jones’s back under a roof together,” _god she’s gorgeous when she smiles, the corners of her mouth reach her emerald green eyes_ , “but, they seem a bit, how I do I say this, concerned about my personal life.”

Betty does her trademark quirking eyebrow movement again, “okaaaay, spit it out, Jones.”

“They think I’m gay.” _No point in beating around the bush._

“Gladys and FP think you’re gay?” Betty starts cackling, and before Jughead can continue, she’s holding her sides and snorts are escaping her nose, “oh my god, Juggie! Are you serious?”

Jughead sighs, heavily, “does this sound like the kind of shit I would make up, Betts? Seriously?” He shakes his head and moves to stand, “you know what, this was a stupid fucking idea, I’m going to have strong words with Jellybean when I see her.” Those words had obviously come out louder than he had expected.

“Hold on,” Betty grabbed his arm, “What’s a stupid idea? And what does Jellybean have to do with it?”

 _Dammit_ , he muttered to himself. Running his fingers through his hair, and closing his eyes; he tried to think of an excuse on the spot - _but of course, when Forsythe needs his creative mind, it escapes him._  
He turned around, blue eyes meeting green, she was waiting for his response, hands on hips and head tilted slightly.  
Jughead sighed, “wanna sit?”

“Do I need to?” She retorted, looking slightly shocked by the authority in his tone.

“Maybe,” as he waited for her to sit back down, he was thinking of the best way to ask her, but after hearing her anxious sigh, fuck it, “how would you feel about spending Christmas with us Jones’s?” _Well done, Forsythe, baby steps._

Betty grins, “really? Is that it? Because you know I love your family, of course I will!” She leapt up, but not before Jughead pulled away from her unexpected embrace in the nick of time.

“That’s not exactly it, no,” he motioned her to sit down again, “how would you feel about playing my better half, my companion, my partner,” he coughed, “girlfriend for that short period of time?”  
_Yeah, okay, good job ‘ol chap; not awkward at all._

Betty craned her neck, as if asking him to repeat the question, but when he shook his head, she sank back into the couch. As if processing his question for a short while. Although, Eventually after what felt far longer than a short while, Jughead let out a huff and once again muttered something about it being a shithouse idea and made his way to the door.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

As his hand was about to pull down the door handle to leave, Jughead turned around, “what?”

“Why not? It could be fun. We could be,” she stood there, her mind ticking her, her damn top lip capturing her teeth, holding them prisoner, “Bughead! Betty and Jughead!” Suddenly Betty was bounding across to the doorway, giving him a featherlight kiss on his cheek, “text me the details tonight, I’ll start packing ASAP!”

Before Jughead would process anything of what had just transpired, Betty was pulling out a suitcase from the linen closet and making her way back to the bedroom.

_Holy shit. It was actually happening. He mentally made note of the inevitable thank you he’d have tell his younger sister._

 

 

* * *

 

 

  
**December, 23rd.**  
**1:25PM**  
  
Jughead was waiting outside his apartment for his pre-ordered taxi, letting out a sigh of relief as it pulled up. He grabbed his bag, as the driver got out and opened the boot for him. Jughead placed his two bags in the back, before climbing into the cab.  
He retrieved his phone, opening up his text messages, _in cab and en route_ , how he had managed to persuade Betty to something this ridiculous at such short notice - he still didn’t know.  
  
He rattled off Betty’s address to the driver. It absolutely didn’t make sense for Betty to meet him at his (as much as she had insisted) when her apartment is on the direct route from his to the airport.  
His phone chimed from his pocket, reaching in, he smiled at the unread message on his screen, _yay see you soon :-)_ , after the butterflies subsided slightly, his phone was back in its rightful spot.  
  
It wasn’t long after they had commenced the drive, a familiar blur of blonde and red & green & white flooded Jughead’s vision. The cab pulled over into the curb outside Betty’s apartment. He climbed out, and was greeted by the blonde bearing an impossible ear-to-ear grin, in the most festive of jumpers. His eyeing off of her attire didn’t go entirely unnoticed either, as he chuckled at her pose & twirl, “do you like it Juggie? Will you parents like it? Or is it too much?” She couldn’t hold in the giggle the escaped her baby pink lips.  
  
“Get in, Coop. We have a plane to catch.” The taxi driver finished loading Betty’s luggage into the boot, and once again, commencing the drive- however, this time to the airport.  
  
It was a tedious 45 minutes later, but the pair were at the airport, waiting to check their baggage in.  
Whoever thought flying at this time of year was a good idea, _was out of their damn mind_ , but on second thoughts; Jughead shouldn’t be one too complain - his parents paid for his flights, and were letting him crash at their place, but he had somehow managed to wrangle (and pay for himself) a very last minute flight for Betty. Which, counting his lucky stars, was on the same flight. And almost as if those lucky stars were aligned (he hated the term fate but this all felt very similar to it) when Betty checked in, she managed to get the seat next to him.  
Needless to say, Betty squealed a little and hit select very, very quickly. Jughead couldn’t deny the butterflies going absolutely berserk in his stomach.

 

**4:00PM**

The final announcement for the flight to Riverdale boomed over the departure lounge, prompting Betty and Jughead to join the queue of fellow passengers. Along with public speaking (considering how cocky he is on a regular basis, the irony isn’t at all lost on him), Jughead hated flying, _a lot._ It was only a short flight, but it was enough to induce a racing heart and clammy hands.  
Both of them had boarding passes in hands, and showed the attendant, whom guided them to walk over the tarmac and toward the rear of the plane.  
Jughead flung his backpack over his shoulder, with Betty carrying her handbag. Making their way up the stairs, his breathing increased as the flight attendant at the top of the stairs came into view.  
His eyes darted to her nametag, _Amanda_ , she gave them both a kind smile, and saw their boarding passes – directing them to their seats. As the both of them located their seats, Betty found herself in the middle, with Jughead on the aisle seat; which suited him just fine. He hated the awkward interaction of needing to squeeze his lanky body between passengers just so he can escape and seek solace in the tiny toilet. Maybe this time would be different seeing as the passenger he would be inconveniencing would be Betty Cooper.

After settling into their respective seats, clicking themselves in. The last of the far-from-festive-looking-passengers found their seats. It wasn’t long after, the flight attendants commencing their safety-in-case-of-an-emergency display. Jughead cringed; it all looked so forced and fake. What did catch his attention though, was the soft hand gripping his arm. The sparkle in her eye distracted him from the fact the plane was now moving backwards. It was when the small car beside the plane, which was used to transport the luggage from, the airport to the plane, moved out of view. It was like Betty immediately sensed his discomfort and grabbed his hand. He looked over, and there it was, _her smile_ , he was a puddle. She gave his hand a squeeze, leant over and planted a kiss on his cheek, _it’s not a long flight, I’ll be here the entire time, babe_ – the whispered words lingering in his ear, as the plane picked up speed and starting taking off into the air.

After 20 minutes of climbing, the seatbelt light above them indicated it was safe to remove the constricting item. The pilot introduced himself, along side his co-pilot, informing the passengers of the length of journey, their expected arrival and the weather, before wishing everyone a safe Christmas.

“Juggie, how did we get together?”

His eyes snapped up to meet hers, “what?”

Betty shrugged, and grinned, “How did we get together? Your parents are going to ask. I mean, we’ve been friends, forever. They’ll wanna know how we suddenly got together, right?”

 _Shit_ , he hadn’t thought about this part, “Right, of course, um-“

Betty reached into her handbag that was stowed under the seat in front, and retrieved a notepad and a pen, “we should probably discuss and plan.”

Jughead stared at the magazine in front of him, when suddenly, “we were at your place, doing our usual Monday night dinner and Netflix. On the couch, you fell asleep on me, as usual,” Betty’s eye roll made him chuckle, _it’s true though_ , “I carried you to your room, tucked you in, your eyes opened, there was a look in your eyes, like nothing I’ve been before, so I kissed you. You kissed me, and the rest is history.”

“That simple?” Betty turned to face him, the corner of her lip raised in question.

Jughead nodded, “yeah, that simple.”

She turned back around, _her damn teeth tugging on her bottom lip_ , she was thinking, “simple works.”

“If it’s anything too elaborate, there’s a higher chance of us messing it up. If it’s simple, and what we actually do, with a bit a spin. It’ll seem much more likely.”

Betty glanced over, and nodded, “I like it,” she reached over and rested her hand on his knee, suddenly her eyes darted between his lips and his stormy blue eyes, “we’ll have to work on our kissing at some point though.”

It was at the exact moment, his heart almost beat right out of his chest, “I, uh, have to go to the bathroom, excuse me.” Jughead leapt up and moved to the bathroom at the tail end of the plane, vacant, thank goodness. He pulled open the door and squeezed into the small space. _“we’ll have to work on our kissing at some point though”_ she was going to be the death of him.  
It was only when there was a knock at the door, that he realised he had spent too long in the bathroom. He turned the tap on, and splashed the ice cold water on his face. Glancing up at the mirror, he winced at himself. _Not too long to go_ , he whispered.

Jughead opened the door, and followed up by apologising to the waiting passenger. He made his way slowly down the aisle, and found his seat. Sitting down, there was a soft voice coming from beside him, “I was almost about to send a search party,” resting her hand on his shoulder, “You okay, Juggie?” He rested his hand on top of hers, and nodded. She planted a soft kiss on his hand, before one final stroke, and removed hers.

The remainder of the flight was relatively uneventful. Betty chatted away excitedly about seeing the Jones family again after a few years. She obviously speaks to Jellybean frequently, but hasn’t actually seen her in about two years. _I bet she’s so grown up now_. Was the one sentence she kept repeating.  
Once again, Betty gripped his hand whilst the plane descended and eventually landed.  
After the squabble of all of the passengers trying to get their carry-on luggage and leave at the exact same time; it was a good half an hour before Jughead and Betty made their way to the luggage carousal in the middle of the airport.

 

**7:00PM**

As the Sunnyside Trailer Park sign came into view, the wave of anxiety that rushed through Jughead was comparable to being overwhelmed by Betty’s intense scent. He gripped the wheel just a little bit harder, watching his knuckles go stark white.

“It’s not very often I see Jughead Jones nervous.” She quipped.

“Yeah, well, it’s not every day I bring my best friend home to my family and play pretend.” He retorted.

Betty let out a soft giggle, “That’s fair,” she turned to face him, “It’ll be fine, babe. I promise. I can be very convincing,” letting her hand wander down his arm.

There it was again, _fuck_ , his mind taking him to places he had only ever imagined or thought about late at night in the darkness of his own bedroom. He willed the warmth coiling in his stomach to be gone. _Not now_ , he thought to himself, _do not betray me now._

Pulling the car into the visitors car park, Jughead chuckled to himself, _visitors to the trailer park? How often were the residents of the rundown trailer getting visitors, and why did their warrant their own car spots?_ As he put the car in park, and pulled the handbrake, Betty’s voice brought him back to reality, “ _you ready, Jug?_ ” He nodded. He was as about as ready as he was going to ever be.

Unbuckling his seatbelt, he looked over and squeezed Betty’s hand, “lets do this,” he muttered. Betty let out a little squeal, and clapped her hands together. She did that when she was overly excited, and it was _fucking adorable_. Jughead was hoping to any of the higher beings that his parents wouldn’t be too interested in engaging in any small talk tonight; he was beat and really just wanted to sleep.

_But he was wrong, oh so very fucking wrong._

They walked up the couple of questionable steps and Jughead tapped on the screen, reaching around and firmly grabbing her hand- he gave her a look of _is this okay?_ To which she understood and nodded hard.  
It was only a couple of minutes later, and the front door swung open to reveal FP in an awfully festive looking jumper. He had turned around and yelled out, “Jellybean, Glads! Jughead’s here!” As he opened the screen door, he blinked a couple of times. His eyes darting between Jughead and his company. “ _Betty? Betty Cooper?_ ” FP’s eyes moved to the holding of hands, and snapped back up to the couple in question, before mumbling under his breath, “it’s about god damn time.” Beckoning for them to come in, he asked if they needed help getting stuff from the car before Betty mentioned _they only had a couple of things, which they could get later on._

Not long after setting foot in their trailer, Jellybean came bounding over to greet her older brother, but not before stopping dead in her tracks to assess the current situation. It didn’t take a lot of communication between the siblings; Jellybean knew she had to play along; a lot can be said with a simple non-verbal exchange. Jellybean ran over and wrapped her arms around Jughead, squealing about how excited and over the moon she was that he was finally home, and quickly moved her way over to Betty, whispering something in her ear that had her in hysterics, “we won’t be too loud, Jelly, don’t worry. I have housemates back home, so we know about volume control,” Betty wrapped her arm around Jughead’s waist, “don’t we, babe?”

Jughead was dumbfounded, he simply had no words. All he could do was nod.

Jellybean rolled her eyes, just as Gladys made her way into the entrance, “let’s go to the lounge room instead of congregating in the smallest section of the of trailer, hey?” Gladys pulled Jughead in for a hug, “I’m so glad you’re home for Christmas, Forsythe.” Just as Jellybean was pulling Betty into the lounge room, she let out a very quick “hey Gladys!” along with a small wave.

Gladys turned to Jughead, “Elizabeth Cooper?” She then proceeded to turn to her husband, to which he shrugged, “about time, you two have been dancing for far too long, Forsythe.” Jughead shrugged, looking back at his dad, who just smiled.

It was about 45 minutes after Betty and Jughead had turned up, when he finally decided it was time for him to get some shut eye. As he stood up, Betty joined him, “we should get our things from the car, I’m exhausted.”

Gladys stood, and took Betty’s hand, “I’ll show you to yours and Jughead’s room. I only thought he would be joining us, so it’s not very feminine.”

Betty waved her hand, “it’s fine, Gladys. We’re only going to be sleeping in there. I’m just thankful that you’re letting us stay. We spent most of our money on my last minute flight.” Gladys nodded, and opened the door, “here you go, love,” Betty moved into the middle of the room before she heard Gladys clear her throat, “I know that you’ve both only been here for even an hour, but I can tell you’re both very happy. He’s smitten with you and vice versa, I always knew you two would find each other.”

Jughead suddenly appeared in the doorway with bags, “what did I miss?” He looked between the two women, “anything bad?”

Both shook their head in unison, “good night dears. See you both in the morning, sleep well.”

Betty moved to take one of the bags from Jughead and placed it at the foot of their bed. Jughead closed the door, and sat on the edge of the bed before falling backwards.

“Tired, Juggie?” Betty whispered, as she sat down next to him. He murmured a yes. “Okay,” she flicked his curl from his eye, and for a brief moment she felt like she was drowning in his baby blue eyes, a feeling is both warmth and discomfort coursing through her veins, “I’m just going to change into my pyjamas, don’t peek.”  
_Was what Gladys saw real?_

Betty made her way over to her bag, unzipping it and retrieving her pyjamas (which was just short cotton shorts and a camisole) , she looked over and saw Jughead had moved to his side. He was watching her, her every move. Suddenly feeling somewhat powerful, Betty unzipped her jeans and shuffled them down her legs, maintaining constant eye contact with Jughead. Never wavering. She grabbed the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head. He was still staring. His eyes turning dark. Pulling her bottom lip behind her teeth, she blushed. _Oh god, Gladys was right. How had Betty never noticed it before? Her feelings for Jughead were strictly friendship, right?_  
_Right?_  
_Shit._

Betty quickly stepped into her shorts and put her camisole on, before muttering something about needing to brush her teeth.

Jughead watched as she left the room, fast. He fell back again. Staring at the ceiling. Surely she felt _that_ too? Whatever _that_ was. One thing he knew, was that it was likely to be a long couple of days. He figured whilst Betty was brushing her teeth, he would take the opportunity to change into his pyjamas. However, just as he was in his boxers, the door flew open, “oh gosh, Jug, I’m sorry!” She gasped, and covered her eyes.

“Betts, it’s fine! Come in. My parents will think it’s weird if you’re standing in the doorway apologizing,” she took a few seconds to process his words, stepping into the room and gently closing the door behind her.

Slowly her eyes moved back to his shirtless body. Had Jughead always been so toned? Betty shook her head, mentally cursing herself for having such thoughts about her best friend.

“Are you checking me out, Betts?” Jughead chuckled as he sensed a shift within the small room.

“No, I, ah-“

“It’s okay, if you were, cos, well I think we both know I was blatantly checking you out earlier, so. Call it even?” Jughead shrugged, “Come on, Christmas Eve is tomorrow, and it’s usually a bigger day than Christmas Day, so we should get some rest.” He pulled back the blankets and motioned for her to come to bed.

Betty looked at the floor, before shuffling over to the bed and climbing in. Jughead turned the lamp off, and turned to his side, “good night, Betts.” When there was no response, he rolled over and grabbed his phone, briefly turning the light on on his phone, he looks over and she’s asleep. He grins, quietly whispering, “I love you, Betty Cooper. Sweet dreams.” Giving her a soft kiss, he turned the light off his phone and closed his eyes.  
_Little did he know, Betty wasn’t asleep. She smiled to herself._


	2. New Christmas traditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Jug, It’s late. Go to bed,” Jellybean pulled him up, dragging him to the hallway, “it’s past midnight, it’s officially the 25th of December. Go wish your girl a merry Christmas.”  
> “How’d you know?” He asked.  
> Jellybean giggled, “you two were the only ones that didn’t know, Jug. Now shooo!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. The few days post-Christmas are always a little crazy. Today was the first time I was able to dedicate some time to this little beauty.
> 
> Thank you for the comments and the kudos; they mean a lot. xx  
> ENJOY!

**December, 24th.**  
**1:30AM**

 

Betty’s eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the darkness of the room she was in. Her " _boyfriend’s"_  childhood bedroom. The " _boyfriend"_  whom she had just one of the most questionable dreams about. And judging by the state of her underwear and the general warmth between her legs; it wasn’t at all a terrible dream.

She rolled over and couldn’t help her finger as it slowly made small circles on Jughead’s back.   
 _Jughead loved her.  
_ _He actually loved her. How long? Was she that completely oblivious? Was it that obvious?  
_ Betty sighed. But she sucked in a breath as he twitched.  _Shit_. It only lasted a few seconds and he rolled over to sleep on his back. Betty suddenly felt a pang of sadness at not being able to touch him.

After the initial shock of her sordid dream about Jughead doing things (his face between her legs, sitting on the kitchen counter, and him eating her like he hadn’t eaten in days) to her, that to be honest, she had never thought about before, Betty felt overwhelmed - on top of processing the new information of his feelings toward her. Betty wanted to the close to him, and even now, as close as he was, it wasn’t close  _enough_.

She gently picked up his arm, and moved to curl up against him. Her finger looping into the waist band of his underwear, her head resting on his chest and his arm draped over her shoulder. Sighing at the steady rhythm of both his breathing and his heart. Betty realised, this is  _definitely_  something she could get used to.

  

**9:00AM**

“Hey, you.”

The soft whispering gentle on her ear.   
Betty slowly opened her eyes and caught his, almost longingly staring at her. She felt the goosebumps on her skin as his fingertips ran up and down her arm.  
“ _Hey_ ,” she whispered in return.

“I didn’t feel you snuggle into me last night,” his hand slowly to her rib cage, throwing caution the wind, “how’d you sleep?”

Maybe Betty was caught up in the moment, maybe it was the new information heavy on her mind, maybe it was his fingers rubbing her rib cage (dangerously close to her breast) or maybe it was the thoughts of _maybe_ , just _maybe_ , she shared his feelings.  
But her mouth was on his, and she pushing herself on top of him, needing to close any space between them.  
She whined as his hands moved down her sides and gripped her ass, his tongue swirling with hers. With her knees on either side of his waist, for that brief ‘caught in the moment’ of moments, Betty was grinding her core against his hardened arousal. Her hips bucked to his.  _God, she wanted him. Badly. To feel his hands on every inch of skin, his tongue licking places that would normally cause her to flush._

But, it was the (god damn forsaken  _moment_ ) when she moaned,  _Juggie_ , the second his cock found her clit that Jughead stopped.

“Betts,” he whispered against her lips, “we have a big day ahead...” he trailed off when the look of pain washed over her face.

Betty being Betty, didn’t (and couldn’t) let his words grip her heart and twist it, because it just simply wasn’t the  _Cooper way._ Bettynodded, and pulled herself off of Jughead, swinging her legs off of the bed, she pulled her clothes out that she had planned to wear that day and padded her way to the door and went to the bathroom. 

It wasn’t long after she had left that Jughead heard the shower going.

Fisting his hair, Jughead groaned.  _What the fuck_ ,  _man_? He berated himself,  _you absolutely cannot have sex with Betty, she’s your best friend, and you’re kind of in love with her. It’s a recipe for disaster. Only another couple of days and everything will be back to normal._

With the need for caffeine invading his head, Jughead slinked out of bed and grabbed his shirt.

He walked into the kitchen, and he made himself a coffee and sat at the small round dining table. Grabbing the copy of the newspaper and flicking through.  _Riverdale is as exciting as ever,_  he muttered under his breath.

“It will be for the next day or so, at the very least,” Jellybean giggled as she entered the combined kitchen and dining space, “how’d you guys sleep? _Wait_ ,” putting her hand up, “let me rephrase that, did you guys sleep?”

Jughead rolled his eyes, “we slept fine, _thanks_ ,” he stood up and pushed the chair in, “now if you’ll excuse me, I need to get changed for today.”

As Jughead started retreating to his room, he heard Jellybean clear her throat, “ _whaaaaat_?” He muttered. 

“Dad didn’t tell you, did he?” 

Jughead turned around, “tell me,  _what_?”

“We’re not doing the charity stint this year. Your Christmas Eve is free,” Jellybean sunk back against the counter, “sorry, Jug. I thought he told you.”

“No, he neglected to pass that small bit of information on.” Jughead huffed and walked back to the room. Flinging the door open, he caught Betty brushing her hair, “ _shit_ , sorry, I didn’t even hear the shower stop. I didn’t think to knock.”  
He was feeling flustered and somewhat out of sorts. Their almost rendezvous earlier, coupled with the information of no charity stint today. Jughead needed a cigarette, and that was a craving he hadn’t had in _long_ time.

“It’s fine, Juggie. I’m only brushing my hair,” she offered a small smile,  _which Jughead knew he didn’t deserve_ , “I couldn’t help but overhear what Jellybean told you,” fixing her hair to a relaxed half up half down style, she crossed the room and sat on the edge of the bed, “I’m sorry that FP didn’t tell you. I know it’s one of your favourite things to do at Christmas.”

All Jughead could do was shrug. 

Betty nodded, and slowly stood, grabbing his hand, “might be nice for us to hang out today,” rubbing small circles with the pad of her thumb on his knuckles, “what do you say?” 

_Betty, at this point, was well and truly putting herself out there. Having already had one rejection in the space of two hours, fielding another, she’s not sure she could handle._

“Sure, it sounds good. Maybe go to Pop’s. It’s been a while since I’ve had a burger and cheesy fries,” he moved his free hand to cup her jaw, searching her eyes for any kind of hesitation, when he had his answer, he closed the gap and pressed his lips to hers, for the second time that morning.

Betty melted, and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss, running her tongue along his lip, to which, without a second thought, he granted her access. With his hands on her waist, and pulling her on top of him, he slowly moved them to grip her ass, again.

Swallowing the giggle that escaped, they were pulled from their embrace with pretend gagging coming from behind them.

Both turning around, they were greeted by an inquisitive Jellybean.

“You know, for a couple that aren’t really a couple. You’re both acting very, _couple-y_.” 

Jughead made his way to the door quicker than Jellybean could finish her fit of giggles.  
“Now, where were we?” He murmured as his hands went back to her waist.

“We were getting ready to go out,” she pulled him down for another heated kiss, before pulling away and giving him a seductive wink, “we can  _always_  come back to this later, Juggie.”

Needing to shift  _himself_ , Jughead went to grab his jacket that he had thrown on the random occasional chair that now occupied his old bedroom. As Betty also busied herself getting ready, Jughead couldn’t help but notice the shift in the room.  
Something was changing between them. He knew that Betty said she could be ‘ _extremely convincing_ ’ (and Jughead knew first hand, when Betty committed to a task, she put 115% of herself to said task; not wanting to let anyone down, or  _disappoint_  anyone- thanks Alice Cooper for that) but something about her actions couldn’t help but lead him down a path where he hoped to all hope, didn’t up in heartbreak for either of them.

  

**2:00PM**

After they had shared burgers, milkshakes and cheesy fries, Betty and Jughead hopped into their hire car and went for a drive.   
It wasn’t too long after their drive had started that Jughead was pulling into a secluded car park.

Betty’s eyes darted around her surroundings, “how have I never been here before?” Reaching for the handle, she opened the door and felt the gravel crunch underneath her shoes.

“It’s somewhere I used to come on the bike when things went down south at home,” he moved around to the front of the car and perched himself on the bonnet.

“Jug, It’s beautiful. I’m sorry. I didn’t know how bad things actually got,” she climbed up on the bonnet next to him, “it seems I’m learning a few things this trip.” She squeezed his hand. As soon as there is a comfortable silence between them, a crack of thunder brings them back to reality, and Betty lets out a small scream.

Her hand gripping her chest, “that scared the _shit_ outta me!”

“I don’t think it’s far,” pulling his phone out, Jughead opens his weather app, “Yeah, it’s bad. I’m not sure we’ll make it back to the trailer,” his head motioned toward the car, Betty nodded and slid down the bonnet and opened the front door, climbing in, “I’ll think we’ll just have to wait it out, babe.”

Betty almost gave herself whiplash at the speed she turned her head at the term of affection that tumbled from Jughead’s lips. “Get in the back, _Forsythe_.” His eyes widened, “ _What_?” He sputtered. “I _said_ , get in the back, Forsythe.” Before he could say anything, she’s reaching under her skirt and removing her panties, throwing them on the passenger seat floor, as Jughead is processing what is happening, Betty has one foot on the centre console, her bare ass in the air (his jeans becoming painfully tight), and her other foot on the backseat. She turned and quirked an eyebrow at him, as if to ask,  _are you joining me or not?_

Jughead wasn’t as agile or flexible as Betty was, so he opted to open the drivers side door and use the back door to climb in. But as he sat down, Betty was straddling him, reaching for his sweater, and pulling it over his head.

“ _Betty_ -“ his eyes searching hers.

“Jughead, shut up and make love to me, dammit.”

_Holy shit.  
_ _She loved him. Betty Cooper loved Jughead Jones.  
_ Her eyes were a dark shade of emerald; mixed with love and lust,  _for him and only him_. He gripped her jaw with both hands and pulled her toward him, “ _fuck_ ,” he murmured against her mouth, “I love you, Betty, so much,” with the collision of teeth and tongues, their kiss was heated, and sloppy, both needing to tell the other how much they wanted it.  
Briefly pulling away, Betty’s breathing was laboured, her chest is heaving, looking at his dilated pupils, it was her turn to cup his face, “I’ve loved you for as long as I could possibly remember. You’re it for me, Juggie. You’re my everything. And right now, I need you. I need to feel you,” grinding her core on his jeans, “ _please_ ,” she whimpered.

Betty is soon ravenous and is unbuckling his jeans and Jughead is lifting himself up, so she can pull his jeans down. She pushed his jeans down to his ankles, once again, her mouth is on his. Jughead hands are on her hips, pushing her skirt up around her stomach.

“Betts,” he hums, slowing down her grinding against his now wet boxers, “I don’t want our first time to be in the back of a rental car.”

Betty stills her movements, pulling away.  
Eyebrows meeting in the middle, he immediately registers the same look on her face as this morning.  
“No, Betts,” his heart tightening at the tears that are forming in her eyes, “it’s not like that, believe me, I would ravish the  _fuck_  out of you right now.”  
Noticing her face soften, “the things I’d do you do to you, Betty Cooper,” his fingers tracing her inner thighs, smirking at the goosebumps on her skin, “right now though, doesn’t mean I can’t make you feel good, babe.”

Her eyes flickered, processing his words, moving to sit beside him, “we should go home, Juggie.” Betty opened the door, and climbed into the front seat, picking up her discarded underwear, slipping them on under her skirt.

Jughead let his head fall on the back headrest and let out a soft groan, leaning forward, pulling up his jeans. Making his own way back to the drivers seat. He turned the car on, thanking the stars that the storm seemed to have bypassed Riverdale.  
Betty connected her phone via Bluetooth and started playing her music. She figured the drive back to the trailer would either be filled with forced conversation or awkward silence.

_It was the latter for the most part._

“How long, Juggie? How long have you loved me?” She quietly asked, looking at the trees passing.

Jughead felt a warmth in his chest, “Betts, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love you.”

Betty giggled, and softly swatted his arm, “I don’t believe that.”

“You don’t have to believe it, babe. But, it’s the truth. What about you? When did you know?”

Betty palmed her skirt, “I don’t know, to be honest. I think it’s always been there. But the last few days... something has  _changed_  with us, Jug.”

He nodded, this was definitely something he concurred with.

“We’ve been best friends our entire lives. This is  _different_. This feeling I get when you’re near, or when you’re too far away. It just-“ Betty felt herself choking up a little. It’s the first time she’s said all of this out loud. 

“It’s okay, Betty. I understand.” Jughead took her hand and held it the entire way back to Sunnyside. 

 

**8:00PM**

Dinner was done and dusted; roast chicken and salad. Dessert was in the oven; sticky date pudding. They were gathered in the lounge room watching the Christmas Eve ‘Carols by Candlelight’ - it was Gladys and Jellybean’s guilty pleasure. Betty and Jughead were curled up with each other on the extra large beanbag. Their legs tangled together, his hands running through her blonde locks.

During the ads, Gladys asked the inevitable question that was going to come up during their visit, “you two have been friends for so long, how did _this_ happen?” She smiled as she reached for her glass of red wine.

Betty and Jughead looked at each other, she nodded for him to tell the ‘story’.   
“Umm, it’s nothing groundbreaking, really. We have dinner and Netflix at Betty’s on Monday nights. She fell asleep on me one night, and I carried her to bed. She woke up, looked at me. And I kissed her. The rest is history.”   
Betty gave him a soft kiss on the lips, like she was reminiscing about that Monday night.

Gladys giggled, whilst FP chuckled, “seems like such a Betty and Jughead story,” Jellybean piped up.

“We’re happy. There’s a huge part of me that wished it didn’t make me so long to do anything,” Betty cooed, as she ran her hands down Jughead’s arm. Jughead looked down at Betty and rubbed the pad of his thumb over her cheek, “we have time to make up for it,” he whispered to her, and  _only_  her.

Betty could no longer hide her yawns, leaning over to Jughead, softly mentioning  _she was ready for bed_.   
“I might stay up for a bit longer, if that’s okay?”

Betty smiled and nodded, before bidding goodnight to the rest of the Jones family. She padded her way down the hall and entered the room the her left, gently closing the door behind her.

It was a couple of hours later, the room had been filled with the regular Jones banter, that Jughead felt a soft hand on his shoulder, seeming to draw him back to the land of the awake.

“Jug, It’s late. Go to bed,” Jellybean pulled him up, dragging him to the hallway, “it’s past midnight, it’s officially the 25th of December. Go wish your girl a Merry Christmas.”

“How’d you know?” He asked.

Jellybean giggled, “you two were the only ones that didn’t know, Jug. Now shooo!” 

Jughead rolled his eyes, and quietly opened the door to the room he was sharing with Betty. He removed his shoes, unbuckled his belt, pushed down & stepped out of jeans, followed by the removal of his beanie and sweater. Climbing into bed, the soft snores escaping the sleeping beauty beside him, flooding his ears. This is something he could _definitely_ get used to.

 

* * *

 

**December, 25th.**

**10:00AM.**

 

Christmas morning.  
Christmas morning waking up next to Betty Cooper.  
With her golden locks splayed on the pillow, and her legs intertwined with his.   
This was already the best Christmas he’d ever had. (even with the Christmas where he had received a brand new bicycle- it did, however, remain a close second).

His fingers slowly started to trace her arm that was draped over his chest, when she stirred.

“Merry Christmas, Juggie.” She sleepily spoke.

“And, a very Merry Christmas to you, Betts.” He rolled over and gave her a kiss. Sitting up and leaning on his elbow, “we don’t do much today, we open presents this morning, have bacon & eggs for breakfast and that’s about it.”  
Betty looked sad.  
“It’s okay, it’s how we celebrate Christmas.”

“Maybe next Christmas, we can come up with our own tradition,” Her foot moving up leg, at an agonizingly slow pace, “it’s just an idea I had.”

“How do you mean, Betty?” His hand now making its way up her side.

“Well, isn’t that what couples do,” _she’s biting her damn lip, again_ , “they come up with traditions. Whether it’s with family or on their own.”

“Is it what couples do? I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been part of a couple before.” He was teasing now, and Betty was falling for it - _hook, line and sinker._

This time Betty was done with her ‘teasing’, she shot up and crossed her arms, huffing, “You’re having me on, aren’t you, Jones?”

Jughead couldn’t hold it in, keeling over in a fit of chuckles, regaining his composure, he was met with a very unimpressed Betty. Pouting and more pouting. “Betts, I couldn’t think of anything better. I’d absolutely love to start a Christmas tradition with you, my, girlfriend,” he reached up and pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her hair, “I love you.”

The corners of her lips moved only slightly, but it was enough, “I love you, too. I do have one present for you... But it can’t really be unwrapped in front of your family.”

“Oh?” He was perplexed, they’d hadn’t discussed gifts. She winked.   
 _Oooooh_.

“Merry Christmas, Juggie. Now, can you make love to me? I’m ridiculously on edge and you’re driving me up the fucking wall!”

Jughead pounced, covering her body with his. Betty in a fit of hysterics beneath him, “Merry Christmas to me,” he whispered as he started undressing his Christmas present.

 

 

 

_**the end.** _

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> head over to tumblr-  
> sweaters-and-crowns
> 
> over the next day or so, i'm going to post an alternate plot for the car scene...  
> (if you catch my Riverdale drift...)

**Author's Note:**

> Leave me some merry kudos and festive comments!
> 
> follow me on Tumblr;  
> sweaters-and-crowns


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